Archive for November 11th, 2008

General: Upscale and central, Tanglewood is a highly desired neighborhood in Southwest Fort Worth. Once, it was a prime location for TCU professors and their families, today, it attracts more professionals and businesspeople. The neighborhood’s large trees give it a feel of a suburban childhood long left behind. The neighborhood surrounds Overton Park, a long thin open space with a bike trail running along a creek where turtles, ducks and squirrels are numerous. The park is a magnet for dog walkers, joggers, and bicyclists.

 Location:  The neighborhood is bordered on the west by Hulen Blvd, on the north by the Trinity River, on the south by South Drive/Seminary Avenue, and on the east by the steep embankment which was formed by the ancient floodplain of the Trinity River, which today is a formidable obstacle to bicyclists and even cars on icy days. 

Housing Types:  Large ranch or traditional style homes, mostly single story, and most more than 3,000 square feet. Built around 1970, these houses show all the features of the heyday of the modern suburb: large rooms, large windows, kitchens which are spacious and practical, large closets and bathrooms – with many upgrades such as skylights, garden tubs and granite counters. 

Price Range:  The average house here runs a half million dollars, or to put it another way, $1.50 a square foot. Cautionary tale: property taxes here are serious business, running about 3% per year. The Tarrant Appraisal District will reassess you at your purchase price the year after you buy, and further raises are possible every year thereafter.   

Lot Sizes: Large lots of a quarter acre or more. 

Transit Access: Good access to the Trinity Trails system, and yes, you could ride your bike if you work downtown. TCU is about a half mile, so if you work there, you could walk or bike as well. By car, downtown is 4.2 miles. Freeway onramps are not particularly close, but most of what you’ll want to see in Fort Worth is, so it doesn’t matter too much. Closest bus service is the Hulen 25 bus, which runs from Hulen Mall to Camp Bowie.

Schools Access:  Public system: Elementary school is Tanglewood; Middle School is McLean; High School is Pascal. Private system: Country Day is 4 miles; Trinity Valley, St Peter’s Classical, and Fort Worth Academy are 7 miles; All Saints Episcopal is 9 miles.

Commercial and Retail Access:  The area is situated between TCU and the Tom Thumb shopping Center on Hulen. By traveling south on Hulen, you will find yourself at Hulen Mall and in the maze of big-box stores in the area; if you go north to Camp Bowie, you will find the best of boutique shopping.